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WARNING: New Armi Sport Enfield Stocks...

Spent the morning with Todd Watts. He was showing me the latest batch of Enfields from Armi Sport that came in. Most are probably going to have to be returned to Italy. The A-C factory thinned out the fore-stock to practically a figure 8 shape with the bulge at the top two barrel bands and the wrist is so freakishly thin it resembles a 19th century fowling piece. It looks like you could break it in two over your knee. As a result the comb is way out of proportion, etc. It looks just plain weird, much worse than it was before. The barrel bands are blued instead of case colored, Armi Sport finally got that part right...but the stock contours are a mess and not much can be done about it. You can remove wood easily, but adding it back where it belongs is tough.

Todd took a picture of one of them next to my D.P. Enfield and is sending it to Rino Chiappa for correction. However, at least that production run is off to varying degrees and until the fix happens you may wish to hold off a bit or make your purchase in person so you can examine the stock contours closely. Better yet, just get their 1842 instead. Those are actually improved over how they used to be, which is high praise indeed.

Just sent to picture to Chiappa with a lengthy detail of the issue and told them the best thing they can do right now is to stop their attempted corrected stock and return to last year's stock until we can work to make the correct corrections. I told them that if they have sent a lot of these State-side their reputation will effectively be ruined with little hope of recovering during the 150ths. It is really bad, hard to describe in mere words if you have not handled one. If I had bought one and eagerly anticipated its arrival only to find this I am certain I would be near tears and heart-sick.

That is (of course) the million dollar question. Why not copy an original? Armi Chiappa "got the word" or was told, probably from IFG, that the stock on their Enfield was too thick...so they thinned all of it out in a bizarre way with tragicomic consequences, at least for this production run. I don't know what it will cost to "eat" the stocking costs for however many come back, some (re)enactors may not notice it, but it has to be more than the cost of an original P53 in decent shape. Also, a defarbed Enfield is now up to $959, and originals in shooting condition are about a grand. How long before that reality kicks in? Nothing is as authentic as the real deal.

This is just a heads-up for anyone in the market for a new P53 Enfield from Armi Sport. I have to think this will be corrected by A-C and soon. In the meantime, the Citizens and Soldiers Digest will be raffling off a Todd Watts defarbed Enfield in the coming year, proceeds to battlefield preservation. Details to follow.

Image of new Armi-Sport Enfield stock

"But our opportunity to learn and grow, to communicate the richness of the lives that have gone before us, that does not change. We do not outgrow it. It does not tatter and fall apart in our hands..." -Mrs. Terre Lawson, 2010

I am so glad I'm not in the market for a musket. That makes my old Parris cap guns look more authentic. Even without squinting.

Rob Weaver
Pine River Boys, Co I, 7th Wisconsin
"We're... Christians, what read the Bible and foller what it says about lovin' your enemies and carin' for them what despitefully use you -- that is, after you've downed 'em good and hard."
-Si Klegg and His Pard Shorty